This Isn't Goodbye
by Arwen Wolfe
Summary: Hermione and Fleur must say their farewells before the Beauxbatons students return to France. Rated M for scenes of a sexual nature!


A/N: Just so we're clear, I claim no ownership of the characters or world described in the story below. I've also cheated a little and made Hermione know about the Room of Requirement in her 4th year. Enjoy!

* * *

Peeking up over the wooded horizon, the first rays of the day's light struck the high peaks and towers of Hogwarts castle. Crisp and clear, the light arrived with a crystal blue sky, bestowing upon the enchanted grounds what was to be a beautiful springtime Saturday. Birds began their morning songs in the thick of the surrounding forest, and creatures everywhere stirred to life.

Hermione Granger, nestled away in her snug, cozy bed high up in the Gryffindor dormitories, awoke to a rather different birdsong. An owl was tapping its beak against the glass of the window adjacent to the brunette's bed. Pulling back the curtains that encompassed her four-poster bed, the sleepy Gryffindor immediately shot a hand up to her forehead to shield her sight from the sunlight streaming into the room. As her eyes adjusted, she pulled herself upright, and, still groggy, made her way over to the window to allow the owl entrance. The tawny brown bird was one Hermione recognized as a school owl. It hopped onto the ledge just inside window, and patiently extended its leg to allow her to untie the message bound upon it. Its message delivered, the owl gracefully launched itself back out into the open air of Hogwarts castle grounds, flying back to the Owlery.

Hermione's attention turned to the parchment in her hands. Her interest piqued, she unrolled the message to reveal a short note, written in an elegant script.

_H, _

_Meet me by the lake at 11. Don't eat breakfast._

Taking in the words written before her, Hermione found herself smiling. A quick look to the clock told her that she had a little over half an hour to make it down to the lake. Most of the other girls in the dormitory were already up and gone. The young Gryffindor hummed her way through getting dressed and ready, and practically danced down the flights of stairs that led her outside. The brisk spring air was refreshing, and Hermione took the time to leisurely saunter down to the shore to meet her counterpart.

As she emerged from the path through the woods that led her to 'their spot', Hermione spied the familiar patchwork blanket that usually accompanied the many get-togethers at the lake. Atop the blanket was a rather large picnic basket laid next to a small bouquet of flowers, and the object of Hermione's affection: the young quarter-Veela witch known more commonly as Fleur Delacour, or the Beauxbaton's champion.

Hearing the sound of someone approaching, Fleur turned to see Hermione coming her way, and she sat up to greet her friend.

"Bon matin, ma belle!"The French witch stood to engulf Hermione in a warm hug.

Wrapping her arms around the older girl to return the hug, Hermione struggled to keep her cheeks from flushing; she never got tired of being close to Fleur.

"Good morning. You're more organized than usual," Hermione replied, breaking away and gesturing to the picnic basket.

"Well, I 'ave every reason to be. I wanted to spend my last day 'ere at 'ogwarts wiz you, of course."

The brunette's heart sank at Fleur's comment. The students from both Beauxbatons and Durmstrang were departing the next day to head back to their respective countries. Hermione had been trying to ignore the fact that this day was fast approaching, and now it seemed she could avoid the thought no longer.

"Ah, don't look so sad, ma cherie." Fleur placed a gentle hand under Hermione's chin, forcing her to meet the bright blue gaze of her crush. "I don't want zis to 'appen anymore zan you do, but I 'ave to go back to France tomorrow wiz my classmates, and zere isn't anyzing you or I can do to change it. I do, 'owever, want you to turn zat frown of yours into zat smile I know so well, so we can enjoy what time we 'ave left, hmm?"

Staying silent, Hermione nodded and sat down on the blanket, with Fleur following suit. Wasting no time, Fleur opened the basket she had brought, and laid out a simple breakfast that had clearly been packed with care by the school's house elves.

"Did you follow my instructions?" Fleur asked, cocking an eyebrow at the younger girl.

"I did," Hermione held up a hand as if to swear an oath, "I have eaten not a single crumb since waking up this morning. Although, to be fair, I only woke up a little while ago, so it wasn't too hard."

"Ah, well I 'ave been up for quite some time, so I'm starving!" Fleur exclaimed, digging in as Hermione chuckled.

"Well it looks delicious, in any case." Hermione joined Fleur, and was pleasantly surprised to find that their meal was, in fact, as delicious as she'd hoped. Fleur pulled out a flask of orange juice and handed it to Hermione.

The pair enjoyed their food in silence, listening to the sounds of the woods behind them, and also to the small waves lapping up against the shore. They had spent many weekend mornings in this fashion, as both girls liked getting away from the bustle of the castle and spending some well-deserved time out in nature. Ever attentive students, usually they both would bring a book with them, being sure to devote at least some time to their studies.

Fleur's imminent departure soon came back to mind, however, and Hermione's gaze trailed over to take in the blonde girl beside her. Hermione recalled the day that she officially met Fleur, in the tents after the First Task. She had gone to visit Harry, and was introduced to the other champions. Hermione had recognized Fleur, as Ron (and the rest of the school) had been drooling over her since she had arrived. Her initial disdain was soon worn away by further happenstance meetings with the French witch either within the library, or out around the castle grounds. It was a morning much like the one they were currently enjoying when the two had their first real conversation.

* * *

_Fleur was sitting cross-legged by the water, her golden egg cradled in her lap. A couple of textbooks were strewn about behind her on a worn patchwork blanket. The crunch of snow underfoot was the only sound to be heard. Hermione had come down to escape the noise of the Gryffindor common room, looking for a quiet locale that, for once, wasn't the library. She wasn't surprised to see Fleur down here, as they had been running into each other more and more lately, and with each encounter, Hermione found it harder to get the older girl's face out of her head. Fleur sat up straight, as if startled, and whipped her head around to find a sheepish looking Hermione standing some distance away._

"_Sorry, I didn't mean to bother you, I didn't know anyone would be here." Hermione started to turn and head back to the path._

"_Non, non, I do not mind. I was just zinking 'ard, and didn't 'ear anyone coming. You can join me, if you like."_

_Accepting the invitation, Hermione walked over and sat down next to Fleur. Gesturing at the egg, Hermione struck up some conversation._

"_Not the quietest of clues, is it?"_

_Fleur barked a sarcastic laugh in reply. Hermione smiled, and couldn't help but think that the other witch simply wasn't possible of making any kind of noise that didn't sound divine to her ears. "Zis zing 'as been torturing me since we finished ze First Task. Zis morning I find myself tempted to simply toss it into ze lake and be done wiz it."_

_With Harry having figured the clue out only the week before, Hermione figured it wouldn't hurt to help Fleur out. All four champions had known about the dragons beforehand, Hermione reasoned, and she was sure they would all again know what they were facing by the time the Second Task happened. If she was responsible for Fleur knowing what lay ahead, well, she didn't have any problems with that._

"_Well, funnily enough, that would actually give you the answer, in a sense."_

_Fleur looked at the Gryffindor incredulously. "You know 'ow it works?!"_

_Hermione nodded her head in confirmation. "Cedric told Harry some kind of cryptic hint about taking a bath with the egg. As strange as it had sounded at first, it turned out that was the key. When the egg is opened underwater, the wailing isn't wailing anymore, it's a song."_

_Fleur's face instantaneously lit up. The older witch got up on her knees, and pulled Hermione in, kissing her cheek before giving her a bone-crushing hug. "Oh Mon Dieu, zank you! You 'ave saved my sanity!"_

_Blushing furiously, Hermione tried to collect herself but soon found that the effort was doomed to fail, as Fleur began stripping herself of her outer layers of clothes, leaving herself standing on the frozen ground in nothing but her skivvies. _

_Slack-jawed, Hermione was at a loss for words from the sight before her. Fleur was slender in all of the right places, not too muscular, but with enough muscle tone to look athletic. Her long blonde hair cascaded down her back, ending at her waist. Paired with the angelic features that made up Fleur's face, Hermione had never found herself so filled with awe and admiration of another girl's body. Her gawking was short-lived, however, as she soon noticed that Fleur had caught her staring and now stood with one hand on her hip, a smirk gracing her features._

"_Zis will work, zen?" Fleur asked, choosing not to tease the other girl._

"_Yeah, it will. But Fleur, you'll freeze!"_

"_Zat is easily fixed, mon amie. I know of a 'eating charm zat should keep me warm." Fleur brought her clothes over to the blanket, pulled her wand out from her robes and cast the charm over herself. "'ere goes!" Fleur exclaimed as she then ran toward the water, and quickly dove in as soon as it was deep enough._

_She surfaced only seconds later, trying to catch her breath. "Zat 'eating spell did not work as well as I 'ad zought! I'll 'ave to make zis quick!"_

_Hermione could see the faint glow of the egg as Fleur opened it beneath the water, and watched as the older witch plunged her head under to listen to its message. Shortly thereafter, the blonde emerged, and hastily made her way ashore. Hermione hopped up to hand Fleur her wand, and together, the two witches cast a drying charm over the Frenchwoman. With a shudder, Fleur laid the egg down and got dressed again. Hermione figured it was a good opportunity for one of her signature fires, so she cast one just in front of the blanket, and the pair sat down to try and rid the winter chill from their bones. After a few minutes of nothing being said, Hermione noticed that Fleur's face had fallen into a solemn expression._

"_So... you heard it?"_

_Fleur nodded in reply._

"_Dark, isn't it?"_

_Sighing, Fleur turned to Hermione. "Zere is only one zing zat I can zink of zat zey would take from me. And zat cannot be. I cannot let zat happen." Rubbing her hands together, Fleur stood._

"_I am sorry, 'Ermione, but I 'ave to go zink zis zrough some more. Zank you very, very much for your 'elp. I will make it up to you sometime, I promise."_

_Hermione stood as well, and helped Fleur gather up her things. "I understand, it's not a very optimistic message."_

"_I shall see you around, zen. Good-bye, mon amie." Fleur leaned in to hug Hermione for the second time that day, and as the blonde woman pulled away to leave, her hand found its way to Hermione's, which was then given a gentle squeeze accompanied by a small, yet genuine, smile. By the time Hermione regained her senses, Fleur was already several feet away, no doubt headed back to the Beauxbatons carriage. _

* * *

Hermione was wearing a goofy grin, not unlike the one she had worn at the end of that memory as Fleur had walked away. Ever since that day, she and Fleur had spent time together, sometimes planned, sometimes not. They had become quite close, and in the beginning, Hermione's other friends always just assumed that her absences could be accounted to Viktor Krum, although Hermione had not seen much of the Durmstrang champion since the Yule Ball, preferring to spend her time with Fleur. Over the last month or so, though, her friendship with Fleur became more widely known and her friends had taken the news in stride- except, of course, for Ron, who asked her to set him up with the French beauty. Hermione knew that if she was being honest with herself, her feelings for Fleur extended beyond the boundaries of mere friendship, and deep down there was a part of her that suspected that Fleur might feel the same way. However, despite being a proud Gryffindor, Hermione discovered that affairs of the heart left her cowardly and insecure. After observing how nearly all of the French students were overly affectionate with their friends, Hermione feared rejection too much to ever dare telling Fleur how she felt. The tension that existed between them was her own imagining, she would tell herself, although there was a part of her that at times noticed the older girl's lingering glances and the gestures that ranked slightly higher on the scale of affection than what was normal for two people who were only friends. There had been one too many times when Hermione had been greeted with flowers, or was taken to lunch in Hogsmeade where the two would sit well away from everyone else they knew. No bolder moves had been made than that, so it all left Hermione assuming it was normal for friends to do these things, especially when the friend in question came from a place where unreserved endearments were the norm.

Now, on their last day in each other's company, Hermione wondered what would have happened if she had ever made her feelings known, and how different her year could have been. Losing Cedric, in addition to the other horrors that took place within the Third Task, had been a troubling time, and had brought Hermione and Fleur closer than ever. Their friendship had allowed Fleur to mourn the loss of a fellow champion, and for Hermione to voice her thoughts and feelings about the Dark Lord's return to someone besides Harry or Ron.

Coming out of her thoughts and back to reality, Hermione realized she had just been staring at the biscuit in her hand, rather than eating it. She looked up to see Fleur smiling gently at her, having become accustomed to seeing the brunette lost in thought.

Knowing an explanation would be demanded of her, Hermione spoke up. "I was... just thinking about... well, about how glad I am that we became friends. You know, because of everything that happened this year, it was nice to have someone to talk to about it all."

Fleur replied as she packed away the remaining food that hadn't been eaten. "Oui, I very much agree wiz zat. I 'ad never been zat close wiz any of ze girls in my group, and it was 'ard on us all." Fleur's expression then turned stern, "But, I see zat frown creeping back onto your face, and my condition for today is zat you make ze effort to enjoy ze day, and not zink of all ze bad zings that 'ave 'appened. Come, we 'ave an afternoon in 'Ogsmeade to get to!"

Hermione grinned at her friend's enthusiasm, and helped her pack up the picnic basket. As Hermione folded up the blanket, Fleur placed the handles of the basket over her left forearm, and the blanket was then tucked in on top of the wrapped food. This left the bouquet of flowers, which Fleur quickly scooped up and presented to the younger girl. Hermione blushed, still not having gotten used to being treated as such.

"Thanks, Fleur, they're really quite lovely."

Fleur's only response was to offer her free hand to Hermione, who blushed again as she allowed Fleur to lead her back up the path hand in hand.

The duo made their way back up to where the Beauxbaton's carriage stood, and Hermione waited outside in the sunshine as Fleur stopped in long enough to drop off the picnic basket. Once finished, the two girls made their way to the carriage that would take them into the village of Hogsmeade. They chatted casually during the ride, and after arriving, went to the Three Broomsticks where Harry, Ron, Ginny and Neville were already enjoying a round of Butterbeers. Fleur and Hermione joined the others, and the girls spent the next couple of hours taking delight in each other's company, along with that of Hermione's friends.

After a while, Ron got up and stretched. "Well, it'll soon be supper time. I'm going to head back to the castle. Coming?"

With various statements of agreement, Harry, Ginny and Neville stood to get their jackets. As Hermione moved to stand, Fleur placed a hand on her arm. Looking at the others, she spoke.

"We still 'ave some zings to take care of 'ere, maybe we shall see you all later at ze castle." Fleur looked at Hermione with a gleam in her eyes. Hermione responded by letting her weight settle back into her chair.

"Yeah, see you guys later." When the others left, Hermione turned to Fleur. "And what 'other things' do we have to take care of?"

Grinning, Fleur replied simply, "It is a surprise." Fleur then got up, and went to bar to order another two Butterbeers that the girls could take with them. Returning with the two drinks, Fleur handed one to Hermione and set the other on the table before grabbing their jackets. Once outside the tavern, Fleur's hand again found Hermione's, and the brunette took Fleur's hand into her own without complaint, a slight flush coloring her cheeks which she hoped could be attributed to the chilly breeze that was setting in as the sun dipped lower in the sky. They strolled along at a relaxed pace as Fleur led them past the other houses and establishments in the village. After a while of walking they came to the end of the village and together they climbed the small hill that led to the Shrieking Shack. The sky above them was steadily darkening, and Hermione looked to Fleur with concern etched onto her features.

"It's getting late. We're supposed to have headed back by now."

"Do not worry, ma belle. I 'ave asked ze driver zat brought us 'ere to wait for us. 'E is willing to keep zis small secret for us, after a bit of monetary persuasion."

"You think of everything, don't you." Hermione said with a small chuckle.

"I try." Fleur beamed back at the brunette.

When the two reached the top of the hill, they turned towards the setting sun and finished off their Butterbeers, leaning up against the fence that surrounded the Shrieking Shack. When their mugs were at last empty, Fleur took Hermione's out of her hands and placed them both on the ground. Feeling a little bold, Hermione decided to make an attempt to tease the older girl.

"You're quite the gentleman today, Fleur. If I didn't know any better, I'd say this was a date."

Slightly surprised, Fleur locked eyes with Hermione. "And if it was?"

"Honestly? If that was the case, then it's definitely the most romantic and perfect one I've ever been on." Hermione let her gaze travel back towards the sun, which was sinking below the horizon, painting the entire sky in shades of orange and pink.

"I'm glad. As a matter of fact, 'Ermione, zere is zomezing zat I wish to tell you."

Chocolate coloured eyes shot back to meet bright blue ones. The look on Fleur's face took the air out of Hermione's lungs. "Y-yeah?"

Fleur gave a small nod. "And really, by tell you, I mean zat I would like to show you."

"Okay" Hermione was surprised her voice didn't fail her, given the look of intensity in Fleur's eyes. The French witch dropped her gaze to Hermione's hands as she took each hand in one of her own. Only once she had given the brunette's hands a reassuring squeeze did Fleur bring her eyes back up to meet Hermione's. The intensity in Fleur's eyes then softened, and the older girl released one of Hermione's hands to tuck a strand of hair behind the girl's ear. However, after doing so, Fleur moved her hand to cup Hermione's cheek, and before she could register anything else, Fleur closed the distance between them, capturing the Gryffindor's lips in a soft kiss.

After a moment, which seemed like no time at all for Hermione, Fleur broke the kiss, pulling back cautiously to gauge the younger girl's reaction. A wide, exuberant smile quickly appeared on the brunette's flushed face.

"Can you maybe do that again?" Hermione asked shyly.

Laughing, Fleur didn't hesitate to indulge the younger girl, leaning in once again to kiss her companion. The second kiss lasted longer, as Hermione responded by wrapping her arms around Fleur's neck, drawing her in closer as Fleur placed her arms around the shorter girl's waist. That second kiss turned into a third, and fourth, and a fifth as the two girls relished in their new-found closeness and explored the electricity between them that was finally out in the open. As they broke apart again, Fleur smiled and let out a breathless sigh.

"I 'ave been wanting to do zat for some time now."

"And I've been wanting you to do that for some time now as well." Hermione admitted.

"Well, it was worth it, even zough I decided to leave it to ze last minute."

"Speaking of the last minute, I guess we shouldn't keep the driver waiting much longer."

"Non, we shouldn't. Let us 'ead back."

The two walked back to the carriage, once again hand in hand, but this time Hermione was not so shy about the whole affair. Climbing up onto the seat of the carriage for the ride home, Fleur slid her arm around Hermione's shoulders, causing the younger girl's insides to jump for joy, and she immediately snuggled in closer to the Frenchwoman. The ride back to Hogwarts was fairly quiet, and when they reached the castle grounds, Hermione looked to Fleur for further instructions.

"Ah, well, I don't 'ave anyzing else planned for ze night. I only planned up until ze sunset. I would still like to spend ze evening wiz you, zough."

"Say no more, I know the perfect place for us to go." Going into the castle, Hermione led Fleur up the many staircases to the seventh floor corridor where the Room of Requirement resided.

Not knowing exactly what form it would take, Hermione only wished it to be a place where the two could spend Fleur's last night in England together. When she passed the wall for the third time and the door materialized, Fleur jumped back in surprise.

"What is zis?"

"It's called the Room of Requirement. It basically becomes whatever you need it to be."

"And what is it now?"

"Let's find out, shall we?"And it was now Hermione's turn to offer Fleur her hand, and the older witch gladly took it as Hermione opened the door. Inside lay a cozy, romantic space. Large windows sat at the back of the room, looking out over the castle grounds, and to the right was a giant stone fireplace with a fire already blazing, filling the room with a welcoming heat. Many large cushions sat in front of the fireplace, and a loveseat sat behind the cushions, facing the mantle. Candles were placed on every available surface in the room. Hermione led Fleur inside, and they walked the length of the room and gazed out over the grounds.

"As cold as it was, I am going to miss zis place," Fleur sighed wistfully.

"So you admit the castle finally grew on you?" Hermione joked, having spent much of their time together over the course of the year listening to Fleur complain about the cold English winter and the castle's lack of appropriate heating systems.

"Ze castle, among uzzer zings." Fleur smirked, turning to the girl beside her and bringing her in for a kiss.

"You charmer, you." Hermione laughed as the kiss ended. Fleur shrugged her reply, and led the brunette over to the loveseat, and gestured for her to sit down. Hermione complied, first removing her jacket and laying it over the arm of the loveseat. Fleur removed her own jacket, and instead of sitting next to her as Hermione had expected, Fleur moved over the Gryffindor girl, straddling her, and letting her weight rest on Hermione's lap. This caused a blush so intense to rise up on Hermione's cheeks that the older witch had to make an effort not to laugh for fear of embarrassing the brunette.

"Is zis okay?" Fleur asked, tilting her head ever so slightly.

Hermione, regaining her faculties, placed her hands on either side of Fleur's waist. "Very okay."

Fleur leaned down to kiss Hermione yet again, and this time, Fleur allowed herself to get a little bolder. She wrapped her arms around Hermione's neck, letting one hand rest on her shoulders while snaking the other up into the Gryffindor's mane of hair, slowly dragging her nails up the younger girl's neck and to the back of her head. Beneath her, Hermione responded by lightly moaning into Fleur's mouth and sitting up so that she could pull Fleur flush up against her own torso. As the kissing got more heated, Hermione allowed her hands to roam a little, feeling the curves and contours of Fleur's thighs, travelling the distance up her sides, around to her back and eventually down to cup Fleur's backside in her hands. Hermione, quickly becoming lost in the overwhelming sensations bombarding every fibre of her being, tried to pull Fleur even closer to her, inadvertently causing her to grind up against Fleur, pushing in between the legs of the older witch.

Fleur gasped in pleasure and pulled back to see if Hermione was okay with where this was going. Hermione, however, upon hearing Fleur's vocalization, felt all the heat in her face quickly rush downwards and settle between her own legs. The brunette then lunged forward to passionately catch Fleur's lips for another heated kiss. Fleur soon broke away only to trail open-mouthed kisses up Hermione's jawline, to just underneath her ear, down her neck, onto her collarbone, and then made her way back up to suck on her pulse point, driving the brunette mad with desire.

Hermione's response was immediate, her back arching up into Fleur, causing her hips to once again make contact with Fleur's crotch. Coupled with Hermione's hands now grazing dangerously close to her breasts, Fleur let out another moan and brought her hands up to still Hermione's roaming ones.

"Mon amour, are you sure? 'Ave you ever...?" Fleur had to ask while she still had the willpower to stop herself from going any farther.

"No. I mean, yes, I'm sure, but no, I haven't. But I don't care that I haven't, Fleur. I've never wanted anything in my life as badly as I want this with you, right here, right now."

The brunette's answer must have been sufficient, as Fleur's hands darted to the sides of the sweater Hermione was wearing, and the younger girl brought her arms up to allow Fleur to remove the offending garment. Fleur removed her own as well, and ran both of her hands up Hermione's sides, taking their night a step farther when she cupped Hermione's breasts, and squeezed them gently, causing Hermione's grip on Fleur's thighs to tighten. For a third time, Hermione bucked up into Fleur, and Fleur met the brunette in stride, grinding back down against her, tossing her head back a little and biting her lip, clearly enjoying the friction.

Seeing Fleur react like this to her made the courageous lion within the Gryffindor burst forth, and Hermione took charge, reaching over to where her jacket lay beside her and removed her wand. She summoned the large cushions in the room to come to the foot of the loveseat, and then cast a levitation charm to aid her in lifting Fleur up to lay her down upon the giant pillows on the floor. Hermione placed herself over her lover, tossing her wand aside and resumed kissing the blonde witch with renewed fervor. Fleur was nearly going out of her mind by the display of domination from the brunette, and went back to fondling Hermione's small breasts, one hand reaching back to unclasp her bra. Not one to be outdone, Hermione's hands were wandering up under the cups of Fleur's bra, and she soon found erect nipples, and so she grazed over one with her thumb, causing the French witch beneath her to grind up attempting to find the same friction she had enjoyed on the loveseat. Noticing this, Hermione undid Fleur's pants, quickly looking her in the eyes for approval. Fleur wordlessly nodded, and Hermione swiftly discarded both pairs of trousers from the two, and also relieved the older witch of her bra. The younger girl then placed her right thigh between Fleur's legs, and let her weight come down on Fleur's thigh. Unable to contain herself, Fleur arched up to make contact with Hermione's thigh, which drove her own leg up to make contact with Hermione's center. Not expecting such an intensity of pleasure, Hermione moaned loudly, which her lover responded to by flipping the pair over, and kissing the brunette deeply.

The older witch positioned herself the same way Hermione had, refusing to break their locked lips, and began to rock her hips into the girl beneath her. Another agonized whimper reached Fleur's ears, and the older witch then ghosted a hand across the girl's hips, moving to gently squeeze Hermione's inner thigh. Taking the newly-tightened grip as encouragement, Fleur moved her fingers to slide along the length of the brunette's panties, to which Hermione moaned long and loud, grabbing Fleur by the hair and arching up into her touch. Applying more pressure, Fleur's hand stayed between Hermione's legs, rubbing into her where she needed it most. The brunette moved her legs apart some more, and bent her right leg up so her foot was planted firmly on the floor, allowing the limb to push up farther between Fleur's legs. The blonde could not ignore the enormous tension pooling inside her and she could tell the same battle was raging within the girl under her. Slipping underneath the waistband, Fleur fingers at last found their true destination, and they found Hermione more than ready for her. The brunette in question gasped aloud, and fumbled to respond in kind. Fleur lowered herself near the girl's thigh to help Hermione get the access they both were craving, and finally, the two lovers were able to touch each other while unable to cease the constant grinding on the other's leg.

Knowing she wouldn't last much longer at this point, Fleur slipped two fingers into Hermione, allowing her palm to rub up on her clit, backed by the pressure from her thigh to push into her lover as far as her digits would allow.

"Oh my God, Fleur! Yes, right there!"Hermione cried out. The brunette's hand was still between Fleur's legs, and as the French witch pushed into Hermione a second time, Fleur failed in suppressing a loud moan. The young Gryffindor, copying what Fleur had done, adjusted her hand to give Fleur what she was lusting after. Hermione was surprised at how good it felt to not only have Fleur within her, but at how incredible a feeling it was when her fingers slid into Fleur's waiting cunt, followed by how the older witch's eyes rolled back a little before fluttering shut as she groaned deeply with pleasure. Now that they had the other exactly where they wanted, the two girls began to slowly grind into each other, moving their fingers inside of the other all the while. The tension was steadily building between them, and as they both ached for more, their pace increased, both pushing harder, thrusting faster. Fingers pumped in and out, and both young women struggled to catch their breath between racing heartbeats and endless vocalizations of the overwhelming gratification they were receiving.

Fleur was reaching her tipping point, and before she went over the edge, she leaned in to suck once again on Hermione's neck. This did it for the brunette, and Fleur felt Hermione's walls clench around her fingers as the younger girl cried out in ecstasy. The sound of her lover coming sent Fleur riding out an orgasm right along with her, and together they reached heights they had never thought possible. As the spasms subsided, Fleur pulled out, and lovingly kissed Hermione, who had brought her hands up to once again encircle Fleur's waist. The pair became tangled up in an array of limbs, pillows and bliss. Hermione snuggled into Fleur as the two cuddled, still stealing kisses constantly, both having completely forgotten about Fleur's impending departure for the time being.

A couple of hours later, Hermione propped herself up on her elbow and looked Fleur deep in the eyes. "I can't believe you have to go tomorrow..."

Fleur responded by sneaking a kiss and pulling Hermione down so her head laid on the blonde's chest. "I do not want to go. I would much ra'zer stay 'ere wiz you. Will you stay 'ere wiz me tonight?"

Hermione nodded into Fleur's neck. "Of course, I wouldn't dream of leaving you now."

Together, the two drifted off into peaceful slumber.

Fleur awoke the next morning to find the room filled with light, as the sun had already risen and was well on its way across the sky. Her eyes darted to the clock on the wall she had failed to notice the night before, and nearly jumped in fright.

"Mon Dieu!" The Frenchwoman hurriedly got up and gathered her clothes, waking Hermione in the process.

"Mmpf?" The brunette yawned and looked to her lover.

"I am very sorry, mon amour, but I must go finish packing. I only 'ave an hour before I am supposed to leave! I shall see you in ze courtyard before going, non?"

"It's that late already? Wow, we overslept. Okay, I'll see you in a bit." Fleur leaned in to deliver a lingering kiss before standing and rushing out the door.

Hermione took her time in getting up, enjoying the memory of the previous night. She was ecstatic that Fleur had taken the step they both had wanted in admitting her feelings at the Shrieking Shack, although Hermione hadn't guessed they would progress as far as they did in one night. She had no regrets, however, as she and Fleur had become extremely close over the course of the year, everything they had done just came naturally, and felt right in every sense of the word. Hermione made her way back to the Gryffindor dormitories and took a quick shower before dressing for the day. With only a little time left to spare before seeing the other schools off, she grabbed her scarf and jacket and walked down to the courtyard where a crowd was quickly gathering.

It seemed that most of the foreign students had done quite well in making friends, because for every student robed in blue or red, there were half a dozen more in black, saying their goodbyes. There were those who had come down out of mere curiosity, standing to the sides, often in groups of two or three. Hermione, shorter than most of the older students scattered around the area, hoisted herself up on one of the low walls that opened into the courtyard, scanning the crowd for her paramour. It was Fleur who found her, however, as the smiling blonde was quickly making her way over to where Hermione stood.

Fleur pulled Hermione into a tight hug, which Hermione returned in earnest. The reality of the situation was now hitting home for both girls, and they were not ready to leave each other so easily, not when they finally found themselves exactly where they had wanted to be all along. Tears began to form in Hermione's eyes, and as Fleur tried pulling out of the hug, the young Gryffindor only pulled her in with renewed strength, gripping her as if to never let go. Fleur kissed the top of Hermione's head.

"I know... Zis is 'ard. I wish I did not 'ave to leave you. Not now, not like zis."

When Hermione was finally willing to break the hug, she looked up at the older witch to find tears mirrored in the blue eyes before her. With a sniff, Hermione was about to reach up to wipe her face when Fleur's sleeve beat her to it, gently caressing her cheek.

"I wish you didn't have to go, now of all times, when I've only just found out what happiness is."

It was this statement that caused the tears in Fleur's eyes to break away and roll down her cheeks. She took both of Hermione's hands in her own.

"Mon amour, you must promise me, zat you won't forget 'ow I feel about you. You mean ze world to me, 'Ermione Granger, and zat won't change simply because I will be in anuzzer country." Fleur gave a pleading look.

The pain in Hermione's chest only intensified. She felt like kicking and screaming, begging on her knees, anything that might stop this French beauty from being taken away. Fleur was hers and hers alone, and, in her heart, it didn't make sense that they should have to part now, but hearts rarely abide by reason. The feeling of defeat was almost too much to bear, and Hermione hated the idea of letting her love walk away.

"I promise. The same goes to you, though. I've liked you for such a long time, and you mean a lot to me too, Fleur, probably more than you realize. I wish I hadn't been such a cowardly prat. If I had come clean about having a giant crush on you, we could've spent every night like we did last night. I wish we had gotten to savor... this."

"Oh, but 'Ermione, I 'ave. Every touch between us, every embrace, every moment we 'ave spent together 'as been electric. Even zough we 'ad not admitted our feelings to each uzzer, it did not mean zose feelings were not zere."

"I suppose you're right. I spent every day looking forward to when I would see you next. I wouldn't have traded our time together for anything else in the world."

Fleur smiled through her evident sadness. A voice calling out in French caused her to look towards the opposite end of the courtyard, where Madame Maxime was trying to gather all of her students to leave to begin their journey back to France.

"It is time, 'Ermione..."

The young brunette pulled the French witch in for a final embrace. Choking back a sob, Hermione breathed out, "I'll miss you so, so much"

"I will miss you too, 'Ermione. You'll write me, won't you?"

"All the time." Chocolate eyes met blue ones, and, not caring what anyone around them might think, the pair came together for a final kiss goodbye. It was packed with emotion, a bittersweet mix of heartbreak, passion, love, longing, happiness and sadness. Hermione worked at committing to memory the inexplicably soft feel of Fleur's lips upon her own, and the possessive, yet gentle way the older girl held her within her arms. Another call across the yard caused the two to pull away, and Fleur kissed each of Hermione's hands before giving the girl one last hug.

"Au revior."

"Bye."

Fleur then turned to go find her Headmistress. Stealing glances back to the other girl, Hermione waved her final farewell when she saw Fleur look her way before the group of Beauxbatons students were ushered over to say goodbye to Dumbledore and the other teachers that had gathered. A short speech was given to wish all the departing students the best of luck, followed by a warning to take care and caution in what was certain to be dark days fast approaching. Fleur's eyes never left Hermone's. Soon the whole courtyard erupted into applause and the pair's gaze was broken, as all the foreign students were led out onto the grounds to take their leave.

The Hogwarts students followed them out, and Hermione could only watch from a distance as Fleur climbed the steps to the Beauxbaton's carriage. Stopping in the doorway, Fleur turned one last time, trying to find Hermione in the crowd, but before she could distinguish the mane of brown hair among the sea of faces, she was nudged inside by the girl behind her. Mere minutes later, the carriage was rolling, and the driver made a brilliant display of circling the crowd once the stagecoach was in the air. As the enormous blue carriage disappeared on the horizon, Hermione could not stop the torrent of tears that had been threatening to spill over ever since Fleur went inside.

Rushing away from the dwindling mob of students, Hermione's feet instinctively led her to the lake, to _their_ spot. She slumped down to the ground and let out her despair at losing her love. Several moments passed, and Hermione went to check her pockets to see if she had a tissue handy. Her fingers curled around something quite different, and what she pulled from her pocket was a small piece of rolled up parchment. Unfurling it, Hermione was met with Fleur's distinctive handwriting; she must have slipped the note into the brunette's pocket as they hugged goodbye.

_Hermione,_

_Thank you for giving me the most wonderful last day at Hogwarts I could possibly have had. I promise we will see each other again soon. This isn't goodbye._

_All my love,_

_Fleur_

Hermione heart filled with warmth at the message, and although she was still crying, she smiled a little as she stared out over the water of the lake, taking comfort in Fleur's words. As painful as it was to watch the older girl leave, Hermione couldn't help but hope that maybe there was a future for them after all. It was this thought that would keep her going, as she knew that there was no forgetting Fleur Delacour, the woman who was quite possibly the love of her life. No, this certainly wasn't goodbye.

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A/N: So, I hope you liked it. As always, please leave a review to let me know what you thought, constructive criticism is always welcome. If you want more Hermione/Fleur goodness, check out my other stories, in particular, Hyrule Rewritten, which is the one I'm currently working on and will be updating.


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